Ironing-machine.



A. H. CHRISTIE.

momma MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, |914. 1,1 45,118 l Patented July 6, 1915.

A. H. CHRISTIE.

IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION min APR.22. 1914.

1,145@ l l Patented July 6, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wi nem e5 H. 'CHRISTIE- VIRONING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED' APR.22. 191g.

Patented July 6, 1915.

'3 SHEETS-SHEET a.

enanas -retenant curren- ALBERT H. CHRISTIE,y OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG-NOR TO THE KING' MACHINE COMPANY, F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 0F CONNECTICUT.

IRONINGr-MACHINE.

maarre.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led April 22, 1914. Serial No. 833,657.

T0 all 'whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. CHRISTIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport,- in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefuly Improvements in Ironing- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention pertains to an improved ironing machine, the construction and advantages of which willA be hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the annexed drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 a transverse horizontal sectional view thereof; Fig. 3 a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 a like view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1*; and Fig. 5 a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification of the invention.

lThe main object of the present invention is to produce an ironing machine simple in construction and operation, and in the use of which the hands of the operator will be left free to manipulate and position the work upon the ironing-board, the board being traversed beneath the iron and lowered out of contact therewith at the end of each outward and inward movement of the board, whereby the work is freed from contact with the iron and may be shifted as desired.-

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the board may be manually lowered at any time and so held.

Referrin first to the construction disclosed in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, l denotes the main frame or housing, provided with an outwardly-extending overhanging rigid arm 2, carrying at its outer end an iron 3, said iron lbeing preferably heated by electricity as is usual. Extending outwardly from the housing at the lower portion thereof and in line with the iron-supporting arm 2, is a bed or frame extension 4, the upper portion of said bed being open and provided with ways 5 in which is slidably mounted a carriage 6. Said carriage is surmounted by an ironing-board .7, from which extend downwardly two or more posts 8, the posts sliding freely 'through openings formed in the carriage 6. vSprings 9 surround said posts and serve to force the board 7 upwardly into contact 'with the iron 3. The board is likewise provided with a downwardly-extending arm 10, which at its lower end carries a cross-pin Varms 16, the outer ends of walls of the bed 4. Frame carries at itslower portion across-pin 18, which is engaged by the notched end of a lever 19, which extends rearwardly and is fulcrumed upon a pin secured in lugs extending out'- wardly from the frame. A draw-rod 21 is connected to said lever 19 and to a treadlelever` 22. Lever 19, adjacent its rear end, carries an upwardly-extending arm 23, provided at its upper end with a roller 24, adapted to bear against a two-point cam 25, mounted upon .and rotatable with a power shaft 26, supported in suitable bearings carrled b the housing 1. Shaft 26 also carries a dou le crank 27, to which is connected a rack-bar 28, said har passing through a rocker-frame 29, swiveled at one end or side upon a fixed shaft and at its opposite side upon a laterally-extending hub 31, projectlng outwardly from a pinion 32, with which the rack-bar 28 meshes. A gear 33 is secured to hub 31, said gear meshing with a rack 34 formed upon 0r carried by the rear portion of a rod or bar 35, said bar passing through a rocker-frame 36 swiveled upon shaft 30 and hub 31, said rocker frame serving to hold rack 34 in engagement with 'gear 33. Bar 35 1s pivotally connected, at its forward end, to the lower end of a rigid arm 37. The operation of the machine, thus constructed, is as follows: lThe operator, when he desires to'initially position an article upon the board, depresses treadle 22, and through rod 21, lever 19, depressor frame 15, and arm 10, draws the ironing-board 7 downwardly, placing springs 9 under compression. rlhe board at such time may be reciprocating, though if desired it may be l brought to rest by throwing out the power clutch (not shown). When the artlcle is positioned (and the power-a ain thrown on, assuming it was thrown oig) the operator releases treadle 22 and the board is moved upwardly, carrying the article into contact with the iron and at the same time it is reciprocated back and forth beneath the iron by the movement of the carriage 6 to which 110 reciprocating motion is imparted through the connections above set forth, to wit, arm 37, rod 35, rack 34, gear 33, pinion 32rack bar 28, and crank 27, the' rack bar 28, as will be apparent, imparting an oscillating movement to pinion 32 and consequently to the connected parts. As the carriage 6 and the board 7 sustained thereon reach or near the limit of their outward and inward movements, cam 25 comes into play, and through arm 23 depresses lever 19 and as a consequence draws the depressor frame 15 downwardly, thereby drawing the ironing-board downwardly through rollers 12, pin 11 and arm 10. Thus it will be seen that the board is depressed at the end of each outward and inward stroke thereof, and drawn out of contact with the iron, at which time the operator may shift the goods laterally upon the board as desired. Furthermore, it will be noted that by the employment of the treadle the degree of pressure to be exerted upon the goods may bereadily regulated and controlled by simply depressing the treadle to a greater or less extent, while the machine is in operation, and that a complete separation of the iron and board may be effected by a full depression of the lever.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modification of the invention. The mounting of the iron upon the slide or carriage, and the means for reciprocating the same and carrying it to and fro beneath the iron are the same as in the other construction, and said parts are similarly numbered. However, instead of employing a cam, as 25, upon the power shaft 26, the depressor frame is provided with cams adapted to depress the ironingtable at the end of each stroke. The depressor frame in this form is designated by 40, and the upstanding walls 41 thereof (of which only one is shown) are provided with longitudinally-extending slots 42, terminating at the ends in down-turned portions, producing cam surfaces 43, which are adaptedto coact with the rollers 12 and serve to draw the table downwardly away from the iron and to place the springs under tension as the carrlage and the table supported thereby reach the end of their movement in each direction. Under this construction it is necessary, of course, to provide means for preventing the depressor frame from being thrown upwardly, in order to prevent the tilting of the table, and to this end a stop as 44, extends inwardly from the side walls of the bed or extension 4 and overlies the slide which works in the ways 17. The operation of this modified structure is as follows: The carriage and the board are moved back and forth, beneath the overhung iron, the same as in the construction above set forth, and when the carriage nearly reaches the end of its movement in oneor the other direction, as the case may be, the rollers 12 contact with cam faces 43 and the board is thereby drawn downwardly away from the iron, at which time, owing to the separation of the iron and board, the operator may shift the goods as desired. As with the 'i other construction, the ironing-board may be drawn downwardly away from the iron at any point in the travel of the board by merely depressing the treadle, which acting through the lever 19, draws the depressor frame downwardly and consequently draws the ironing-board down and `places the springs 9y under compression.

' It will, of course, be appreciated that the board may be'lowered at one end of the stroke only, if so desired, this being accomplished merely by omittin one of the cam points, Fig. 1, or one of t e cam faces 43, Fig. 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is'.

,1. In an ironing machine, the combination of an iron; an ironing-board; means adapted to reciprocate said board beneath said iron; and means, acting in timed relation with the means for reciprocating the board. for mechanically lowering the board out of Contact with said iron as the yboard reaches its limit of reciprocating movement.

2. In an ironing machine, the combination of an iron; an ironing-board underlying the same; means for reciprocating said board beneath the iron; means for lowering said board away from the iron at the end of the inward and outward movements thereof; and independent means adapted to lower said board and to hold the same in such position.

3. In an ironing machine, the combination of an iron; an ironing-board underlying the same; means for reciprocating said board beneath the iron; means for positively lowering said board away from the iron at the end of the inward and outward strokes thereof; and manually-controlled means for lowering said board away from the iron at any point in the travel of the board.

4. In an ironing machine, the combination of an iron; a Spring-sustained ironingboard;means for moving said board endwise beneath said iron; and means, acting in timed relation with said last-named means, for automatically. drawing said board downwardly out of contact with the iron when the same reaches the limit of its endwise movement.

5. In an ironing machine, the combination of an iron; a spring-sustained ironingboard; means for reciprocating said board back and forth beneath said iron; and means for automatically and positively lowering said board out of contact with theiron as the board reaches the limit of its inward and outward movements.

6. In an ironing machine, the combination meente of an iron; a carriage slidably mounted below the same; a spring-sustained ironingboard carried by saidcarriage; means for reciprocating said carriage to and fro beneath the iron; and a cam mechanism acting to lower the board away from the iron at the end of each to and fro movement of the carriage.

7. In an ironing machine, the combination of an iron; a carriage slidably mounted below the same; a spring-sustained ironingboard mounted upon said carriage; means for reciprocating said carriage and consequently the board to and fro beneath the iron; a cam mechanism acting to lower the board away from the iron at the end of each to and fro movement of the carriage; and manually-controlled means for lowering said board.

8. In an ironing machine, the combination of an iron; a bed or table located beneath the same; a carriage slidably mounted upon said bed; means for reciprocating the same; a spring-sustained ironing-board carried by said carriage; a depressor frame mounted in the bed beneath the carriage and slidable toward and from the same; connections between the frame and the board; and an associated cam mechanism to effect a downward movement of the board at the end of the inward and outward movements of the carriage.

9. ln an ironing machine, the combination of an iron; a bed or table located beneath the same; a carriage slidably mounted upon said bed; means for reciprocating the same; a spring-sustained ironing-board carried by said carriage; a depressor frame mounted in the bed beneath the carriage and slidable toward and from the same; connections between said frame and the board; an associated cam mechanism to etl'ect a downward movement of the board at the end of the inward and outward movements of the carriage; and means under the control of the operator for drawing the depressor frame downwardly.

yln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT H. CHRlSTlE. Witnesses:

F. W. SMITH, Jr., M. T. LoNennN. 

